27th Annual American Wine & Food Festival Review - Gourmet Heaven

In the backlot of Universal Studios, everyone is fit to eat like royalty. Some arrived in limousines, while others shuttled in the Universal Tour Bus. But everyone had the same thing in common: "
Eat, drink and be merry."

The 27th Annual American Wine & Food Festival Oct. 4 is the
Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation event where millions are raised for the
Meals On Wheels programs of Los Angeles. The Universal Studios Backlot was transformed into a culinary cuisine heaven for over two thousand hungry attendees.

These celebrated chefs are among the best in the world

As you walk in to the event, a spread of tall champagne glasses greeted us. A few steps to the right and left is a carnivore’s dream: braised beef, BBQ ribs, pork, goulash, etc. For the seafood lover, you could find, lobster, sushi and more.

Lines were everywhere each person waiting to fill their mouths with tasty bite size sumptuous, unique entrees. For others who wanted to take a break from cuisine snacking, they had the chance to bid for luxury items in a silent auction.

For the thirsty,
Ultimate Vodka,
Patron Tequila, various liqueurs and just about every wine to suit your pallet was poured into hundreds of glasses. After people got warmed up, they set off and danced to the live band under the bright moonlight. An unfortunate power outage didn’t stop anyone from feasting, drinking and having fun. Although a little dim, candles, lamps and emergency power kept things running for a couple of hours.

The sweet corner opened up at 8:30 p.m. The servers greeted us in pink costumes with five inch pink bumble bee wigs handing out candy apples, cotton candy and more. On the other end were decadent chocolates and other rich treats. Another live band brought the sweet corner to life.

I capped off the night taking a snapshot at the photobooth sponsored by
Ultimate Vodka.

Eating at
The American Wine & Food Festival takes great planning. If you’re not prepared, you could easily find yourself with an upset tummy for a week. Mine only lasted one evening. So much food, but no way to even come close to tasting it all. Some of what I had eaten was fantastic, some tasty and others were interesting, but the entire evening was a memorable event.

Since its inception in 1982, the
Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation event has raised more than $15 million for
Meals On Wheels programs of Los Angeles, which serve thousands of meals each day to Los Angeles’ homebound, senior and disabled citizens.